WestJet apologizes after passengers stranded in Cancun for 33 hours

WestJet Airlines Ltd. has apologized to passengers who spent an extra day and half in Mexico over the weekend, many without the hotel rooms the airline had said would be available following a cancelled flight from Cancun to Ottawa.

About 150 passengers found themselves stranded on the Yucatan Peninsula Saturday after a pair of mechanical issues caused a four-hour flight delay and eventual cancellation.

WestJet says the plane was moving constantly during the hold-up on the tarmac, which prevented flight crews from offering more water and snacks.

After the cancellation, the airline told passengers they would be bused to hotels to spend the night without charge. Many of them wound up having to book their own accommodations, however, due to a lack of available rooms.

The Calgary-based airline called it an ”extremely tough situation for guests to endure.”

WestJet says it will offer “appropriate reimbursement” for the hotel stays along with a gesture of goodwill to passengers.